Tuesday, March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day


Patrick was a Briton who lived in the years 389-461.  A former slave, Patrick took Ireland as his mission field.  Patrick devoted his life to the pursuit of destroying paganism and exalting the name of God in Ireland, tirelessly teaching the Irish people about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  No wonder this day is celebrated as the feast day of St. Patrick.



May Patrick's prayer encourage you today.

Christ, as a light
illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.

(Celtic Daily Prayer, Northumbria Community Trust. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2002, p. 18)

Happy St. Patrick's Day, friends.

Wednesday, March 11

Updating a bathroom: I need your help!


March 11 is a big day for us this year.  Today is the 10-year anniversary of our moving into this house!

I can hardly believe we've been here 10 years.  My sons were just 7, 11, and 13 years old when we moved here.  Now two of them are adults and my "baby" is about to turn 18!

Our house was brand new when we moved in.  As you can imagine, some things we've changed over the course of 10 years; other things have stayed the same.  One room we're in the process of changing right now is our master bathroom, and I could really use your help as I work on this room.

For years our bathroom was painted "Craftsman Brown" by Sherwin Williams.  It's a nice dark taupe that worked well with the tumbled marble tile.  After awhile, though, I grew tired of the brown.  Here are a couple of old shots:





One thing I never liked was the shower door.  It was a nice quality door, but so ugly:


So recently I repainted with Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore and got a new frameless shower door.  Much better!



Now, here's where I need help.  I still like the tumbled marble tile and the large tiles of the floor, so I don't think replacing all the tile would be a worthwhile project.  But the countertops are a different story.  Here's a look at them:




They're not dreadful by any means, but neither are they beautiful.  They're Corian in a very neutral, slightly speckled finish with white sinks. 

So here's where I need your help.  First, what do you think of the countertops?  Do you agree that it would be good to replace them?  If so, what do you think would work well?  I really think I'll keep the tumbled marble tile in the shower and tub surrounds, so it needs to be a material that would work well with that.  Any ideas?

Second, what do you think I should do with the mirrors?  Would replacing the large plate glass mirrors with framed mirrors work well in here?  As you can see from the first photo, my side of the bathroom includes both a sink area and a vanity area, with countertops of two different heights.  Do you think I should hang two framed mirrors side by side there? 

Help!  Do you have any suggestions?  Photos?  I'd love to have your opinion!